Hungary: European Parliament Green Policies Too Much

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Several European “green” initiatives have provoked resentment in Hungarian government circles. The outrage is mainly due to the European Parliament having failed to endorse a European Council proposal on a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2023-2027. The debate is over the greening of direct payments to farmers, where the Council proposed 20% of the payments going to mandatory eco-friendly farming, while the Parliament insisted on 30%.

After four days of intense negotiations, no compromise was reached. Hungary has criticized the European Parliament for going too far in its demands, pointing out that it’s not the MEPs but the national governments which have to face the actual consequences of such decisions. Farming provides jobs and a livelihood for a lot of people, and due to restrictive policies, EU countries could suffer comparative disadvantages vis-à-vis non-EU regions, critics say.

Sources: Euractiv, Mandiner.hu